1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing technique and, more particularly, to a technique to control a device to output a document created by an information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the spread of network techniques, personal computers are connected to an image forming apparatus, such as a multi-function peripheral (MFP), a page printer, etc., through a network in many office environments so that print data is sent from the personal computers to the image forming apparatus to have the image forming apparatus perform a printing operation based on the print data. A printer server may be connected to the network so that a printing operation is performed by the image forming apparatus under the control of the printer server.
In the above-mentioned system, each personal computer can be connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses through the network. In such a case, if there is no problem with respect to a security level and if the output print does not contain secret information such as individual information or personal information, there may be no serious problem if a user of the personal computer mistakenly designates one of the image forming apparatuses, which the user does not intend to use.
On the other hand, in a case where a created document requires a high-level security or a created document contains high-level individual information, there may be a serious problem if a user unintentionally sends a created document data to one of the image forming apparatuses, which is easily accessible by a third person.
This problem is caused by a print wizard of an application for creating a document installed in a personal computer, which print wizard displays a plurality of printer selection icons arranged close to each other on a single screen page. That is, it is possible that a user mistakenly selects a wrong icon to designate an image forming apparatus to be used for printing. As a result, there may be a problem in that, for example, a document to be output by a specific printer is undesirably output by an image forming apparatus, which is set in an open environment.
It is considered that the above-mentioned problem is caused by adoption of architecture by a personal computer, which architecture permits addition of a limitless number of network printers to a network, with the progress in a network technique. There are various techniques to limit an output of an image forming apparatus connected to a network. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-140867 (Patent Document 1) discloses an information processing apparatus, which is capable of changing an image forming apparatus to be used for printing in accordance with conditions of image forming apparatuses connected to a network. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-282273 (Patent Document 2) discloses an office section management system, which is capable of limiting and changing output processing requested by other office sections in an image forming apparatus connected to a network.
The information processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 changes an image forming apparatus to be used for printing in accordance with conditions of image forming apparatuses such as a printing load, a malfunction, etc. However, in a case where an image forming apparatus is in a normal operating condition, an output from the image forming apparatus concerned is not prevented even if the image forming apparatus concerned has been mistakenly selected by a user. In such a case, because a processing speed of a present personal computer is considerably high, it is almost impossible to cancel the print output without outputting at least a part of a document in a case where an undesired image forming apparatus is mistakenly designated.
According to the office section management system disclosed in Patent Document 2, a correspondence table for an image forming apparatus to perform an output control for each office section is previously prepared in order to perform a print output control by identifying an office section from a print request. Patent Document 2 discloses a print control in a system in which a plurality of personal computers uses a single image forming apparatus, but the print control does not aim to control an access by a personal computer when a single personal computer manages a plurality of image forming apparatuses.
Further, in recent years, a so-called thin client, which is a client having a minimum function, has attracted an attention from a view point of a cost performance. The thin client mounts a requisite minimum number of applications, and performs processing using server programs. It is necessary, upon reception of a print request from such a thin client, to properly perform printing without sending print data to an undesired output destination. That is, in a present network print environment in which a personal computer or a thin client is capable of accessing a plurality of image forming apparatuses, it is necessary to provide a data processing apparatus and method to forcibly designate an image forming apparatus, which a user intends to use for printing, even when an operation of an image forming apparatus other than the image forming apparatus, which the user intends to use for printing, is started.